"I don't think Ajinkya Rahane should have played in IPL 2022" - Aakash Chopra 

Former India opener Aakash Chopra recently stated that Ajinkya Rahane should have considered opting out of the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2022). He suggested that the right-hander should have participated in the ongoing County Championship in England instead.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra pointed out that Rahane would not have made a comeback to the Test side by doing well in IPL 2022. The cricketer-turned-commentator opined that Rahane might not feature in the squad for India's impending Test against England, which is scheduled to be played in July.

The 44-year-old went on to state that Rahane wouldn't have had any significant momentary loss by pulling out of this year's cash-rich league as he was picked for his base price at the auction. He said:

"I don't think Ajinkya Rahane should have played in the IPL this year. He could have rather gone to England to practice. He's too good a player and would have easily fetched a county contract. Even if he had scored runs in IPL, he still wouldn't have been considered for Test matches."

"He was picked at his base price, so there wouldn't have been much of a monetary loss as well if he had opted out. He can only play in one format for India now and that's Test cricket. I don't think he'd get selected for the England series."

It is worth mentioning that Rahane was roped in by the Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹1 crore at the IPL 2022 auction. He featured in seven games for the side and managed 133 runs.

The experienced batter picked up a hamstring injury while batting against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) earlier this month and was ruled out for the remainder of the season.

"You cannot ignore that Cheteshwar Pujara has done extremely well for Sussex" - Aakash Chopra

Chopra reckons that while Ajinkya Rahane might not earn a Test recall, Cheteshwar Pujara should make it to the squad for the England Test. He lauded the batter for his recent performances for Sussex in the County Championship and stated that the selectors cannot ignore those performances.

Chopra feels that Pujara did the right thing by playing county cricket after being dropped from the national side. As per Chopra, since Pujara is in stunning form, he will surely be considered for the Test match in England. Aakash Chopra added:

"Cheteshwar Pujara will be considered for the England series. I feel that he will be included in the squad. It remains to be seen if he gets a chance in the playing eleven but he will surely be in the squad. You cannot ignore that he has done extremely well for Sussex."

Pujara has made a significant impact in the County Championship. The talented batter has amassed 720 runs from eight innings at a magnificent average of 120.00. His recent run-spree could surely give his Test career a new lease of life as he has showcased brilliant consistency while playing for Sussex.